Page 52 of Shadowing Charlotte

Chapter fifty-two

Alexander

I rolled over in bed and reached for Charlie, finding her side of the mattress empty. Vaguely, I could recall her kissing me before she climbed out from beneath the covers.

"Hey, princess, can you make me a cup of coffee?" I called out. There was no response, in fact, the house was completely silent, save for the ticking of the clock on the wall in the hallway. "Charlie?"

Utter silence.

Rolling out of bed, I pulled on my sweats and wandered into the kitchen, rubbing my eyes. Charlotte's manuscript was still open on the counter, a cup of half-finished coffee sitting beside it. "Charlie?" I called out, glancing out the back window, wondering if she'd gone into the backyard.

I made my way into the living room, peeking out the window. The Jeep was gone. Dropping the curtain, I turned, spotting the paper sitting on the coffee table. A smile spread across my face as I read the note. I love you.

My sweet Charlotte. The kind of woman who leaves me little notes when she leaves the house. I hoped that meant she was feeling better after what Adam had put her through the day before. Returning to the bedroom, I picked up my phone and opened my texts.

Hey, princess. Where did you run off to?

After sending the message, I flicked open my notifications and found a voicemail from her. Grinning, I hit the speaker button, expecting to hear her sweet voice telling me she went to get us smoothies or breakfast. The smile immediately melted from my face.

"I don't have all day!" I recognized his voice immediately, despite only meeting him twice. What the fuck ?

"I'm not going anywhere with you until you promise to leave my father alone and tell me where you're taking me. Why can't I bring the jeep?" Charlotte sounded on edge. Not just on edge. She was trying to sound brave, but I could hear the quiver in her voice.

"We're going on a little vacation, baby. All you need is your ID." The sound of him calling her baby made me drop the phone, the screen cracking upon impact as rage coursed through me.

Charlotte. My stupid, sweet, noble Charlotte. Of course, she'd gone with Adam. She thought it meant keeping her father safe.

I wondered what the fuck he had done to convince her Tim was in danger. Adam didn't seem like the murdering type. Apparently, he was the kidnapping type, though. Fucking idiot. I was going to kill him. I was going to ring his neck and rip his fucking entrails out.

Flicking open my text to her, trying not to cut my fingers on the screen, I clicked on Charlotte's picture and opened her location. She was sitting in the middle of nowhere in some parking lot. I pressed the call button, letting the phone ring until I got her voicemail. I tried again.

Pick up… Pick up baby…

"Hello? A man's voice.

"Who is this?" I asked.

"Who is this?" he countered.

"I asked you first, and since you're answering my girlfriend's phone—"

"Look, man. I'm just doing my job, alright? Your girlfriend left her phone in her truck, with her keys. So, it would seem to me she doesn't want to be found. Wait… Did she steal your truck?"

"No, she didn't steal my truck!" I snarled, running my fingers through my hair in panic. "Look, I'm sending someone to pick up the Jeep. His name will be Tim. Just, don't have it towed, alright?"

I hung up, scrolling through my contact for her dad's number and hitting the call button. "Pick up… Pick up, damn you!"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, thank fuck!" I breathed, my shoulders sagging in momentary relief. "Tim, I don't have long, just listen to me. Adam has Charlotte."

"What the fuck do you mean Adam has Charlotte?" he roared. "How did—"

"Fucking listen to me!" I shouted into the phone. "I'm going to get her, Tim. I'm going to get her right now, but I need you to go get her Jeep. Does she share her location with you?"

"No, I—"

"I'm going to send it to you now. It's in a parking lot not far from you," I told him. "Can you think of anywhere Adam would take her if they were going on a vacation?"

"Andrew has a beach house in Florida, but—"

"Just get the Jeep, Tim." I was sure he didn't care about paying an impound fee, but I needed to make sure he stayed the fuck out of danger—and my way.

"Alexander—" I hung up before he could say anything else. I didn't have time to listen to him yell at me or try to talk me out of what I was about to do…